Harvest in approximately 1 years. In warmer areas, harvest time might be shorter.

Compatible with (can grow beside): Beans, Carrots, Cabbages, Sage

Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Prostrate Rosemary

Rosemary will grow from seeds but this is not recommended as the success rate is very low. Small cuttings are easy to grow. Put in light, sandy soil where you want your plant to grow or start in small pots and plant out when established.

Rosemary comes from warm Mediterranean areas but adapts well to colder climates. In areas of heavy frost, a cutting potted up and kept in a sheltered spot will insure against total loss of your plant over winter.

Dryness suits rosemary, so well-drained soil and sunshine will be best.

Once established rosemary can be harvested all year round.

Rosemary grows well in patio pots or tubs.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Rosemary

Leaves sprinkled on roast potatoes, meat and barbeque food make them extra tasty.

Rosemary can also be used to add flavour to vinegars and oils.

Your comments and tips

Tip: Rosemary doesn't play well with many other herbs. I've consistently seen it's stems grow almost at right angles away from nearby parsley, for instance. To avoid this you'll need approximately a 1.5 metre radius/distance away from parsley. Oregano and thyme tend not to affect the rosemary much, but these will begin to grow around or away from rosemary - it's quite funny to watch a plant do a slow-motion about-face; and if you think that following that the idea of the old folk song sounds nice and you plant parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme in a pot, pretty much everything stunts and dies.
Start cuttings in the spring thru summer (just snip off the top 30cm of a stem and plant it 15cm deep in-situ) and keep the soil damp/watered (once a day is usually enough) until you see the end of the soft tip of the cutting stand up under it's own wieght, consistently. For a few days-to-a-week after making the cutting, the soft tip will rise and fall with the heat/light of the day and then finally stand up. That's how you know it's taken. It'll shoot away pretty quickly after that.

Gwenn,
Put your question in a Google search. Here are three places that came up early when I tried it:
oderings.co.nz/Shop/Oderings-Plants/Herbs-Cooking-Fresh/Herbs-Cooking-Fresh-__I.84__C.24353
gstuff.co.nz/shop/garden/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=806
egmontseeds.co.nz/herbs/rosemary
You will probably also find them in your local garden centre e.g. Mitre10, Bunnings, Placemakers, will have them, as do some supermarkets.

I am originally from NJ, USA. I now live in Costa Rica. When I lived in NJ Rosemary loved the summer months in that partially shady area I kept it, but once I brought inside before frost, it almost always got the powdery white on it as you describe. It is called powdery mildew and it can be easily controlled by mixing a teaspoon of baking soda in a pint of water...once dissolved, spray it on the plant every few days until the problem goes away. Mildew loves acid environments and the bicarb makes it alkaline, killing the mildew but not harming the Rosemary.

Hello... I wanted to do a mass planting of lavender and rosemary with 5 or so kangeroo paws in a corner. I was hoping that because both lavender and rosemary were from the Mediterranean area, this would work. Do I follow the 'rules' for planting rosemary, for lavender. Do you happen to know if the kangaroo paw would be okay amongst them?

Have for 8 years had lavender and rosemary alongside each other with no problems. Bees love their flowers. Never had any success with kangeroo paws neither did my neighbours, it must be our soil. Live in Leichhardt, sydney and we also don't have any luck with azealeas.

I saw where you can make a hedge out of Rosemary. Would this be a good suggestion? I have several plants I started from seed because I would like organic herbs. I plant on planting it in my garden as an entrance hedge. Need to know if I am heading in the right direction with this herb. We have four seasons here. Trying to make long lasting decisions. Thanks

This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department.
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